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editorial

Walmart deserves praise for plan to hire veterans

Walmart’s labor practices aren’t usually a source of praise, so the company’s announcement that it plans to hire 100,000 US veterans over the next five years caught its critics off guard: Is it okay to say good things about Walmart? It is. Whether Walmart’s relatively low-paying jobs can salve the employment woes of so many military families is debatable, but the significance of the company’s gesture in reaching out to veterans is not. The world’s largest retailer isn’t just thanking them for their service, it’s endorsing their readiness for the workplace, and declaring that they’d be a credit to their employers. That’s all true. Today’s military offers both highly specialized training and a crash course in life skills. Other employers should take note.